How many players do you need for Belote?

Belote is played by exactly four people in two partnerships of two. Partners sit opposite each other, so each player is seated between the two opponents. Variants like Coinche and three-player Belote exist, but classic Belote is strictly a 2-versus-2 game.

What does it mean to be 'dedans' in Belote?

Going 'dedans' (French for 'inside') means the taking team failed its contract by scoring equal to or fewer points than the opponents in that hand. When this happens the takers score nothing for the hand and the defending team is awarded all 162 points, though both teams still keep any belote-rebelote bonuses.

What is belote-rebelote?

It is a 20-point bonus for holding both the King and Queen of the trump suit. You declare 'belote' as you play the first of the pair and 'rebelote' as you play the second. The bonus is always scored no matter which team wins the hand.

Why are the Jack and Nine the highest cards?

In the trump suit only, the Jack (called the 'bourg') ranks highest at 20 points and the Nine ('manille') ranks second at 14 points. This inverted ranking is a signature of the Jass family of games. In non-trump suits the Jack and Nine drop right back down to low, near-worthless cards.

How many points do you need to win Belote?

The traditional target is 501 points, accumulated over multiple hands. Each hand is worth 162 points (152 in card values plus 10 for the last trick), and a clean sweep of all tricks, a capot, is worth 250. Some groups play to 1000 or 1500 for a longer match.

Do I have to play a trump if I can't follow suit?

Usually yes. If you cannot follow the led suit and an opponent is leading or currently winning the trick, you must play a trump if you hold one, and you must overtrump the highest trump already played when possible. The exception is when your own partner is already winning the trick, in which case you may discard any card instead.

How to Play Belote

Belote is France's most beloved card game: a fast, sociable partnership game for four players using a 32-card deck. It blends sharp trick-taking with a clever trump-bidding twist called "take or pass," and a famously upside-down card ranking where the humble Jack and Nine suddenly rule. This guide covers everything from the deal to dedans, belote-rebelote, and the race to 501.

What is Belote?

Belote is a four-player partnership game played with a 32-card deck (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7 in each suit). Two teams of two sit alternately around the table, so each player is flanked by opponents and sits across from their partner. It belongs to the wider Jass family of trick-taking games, and the goal is to win tricks containing valuable cards, then be the first team to reach a target score, traditionally 501 points.

If you enjoy trump-based trick-taking, Belote sits comfortably alongside Spades and Hearts. Its Latin-European cousins, the Italian Briscola and Scopa, share the same point-card DNA.

The deck and card ranking

The twist that defines Belote is that cards rank and score differently depending on whether their suit is trump.

Trump suit, high to low: Jack (20 points), Nine (14), Ace (11), Ten (10), King (4), Queen (3), Eight (0), Seven (0).

Non-trump suits, high to low: Ace (11 points), Ten (10), King (4), Queen (3), Jack (2), Nine (0), Eight (0), Seven (0).

Notice that in trump the Jack and Nine leap to the top with huge values, while everywhere else they are nearly worthless. The four suits together hold 152 points in cards; with the last-trick bonus that becomes the 162-point hand total used for scoring.

The deal

The dealer shuffles, the player to the right cuts, and cards are dealt clockwise in two passes: first three cards to each player, then two more, so everyone holds five. The next card is then turned face up in the middle. The remaining cards stay face down for now.

Choosing trump: take or pass

The face-up card is the candidate trump suit, and bidding happens in two rounds.

First round: starting to the dealer's right, each player may "take" or "pass." Taking means accepting the face-up card's suit as trump; that player's team becomes the "takers" and commits to scoring more than the opponents. The taker also picks up the face-up card into their hand.

Second round: if all four pass, players go around again, this time free to name any of the other three suits as trump (you cannot name the suit that was already refused). If everyone passes twice, the hand is thrown in and re-dealt.

Once trump is set, the dealer completes the hand: the taker receives two more cards (including the turned card already taken) and everyone else gets three, so all players finish with eight cards.

Playing the tricks

The player to the dealer's right leads to the first trick; thereafter the winner of each trick leads the next. The strict obligations are what make Belote demanding:

You must follow the led suit if you can.
If you cannot follow and the trick is being led or won by an opponent, you must play a trump if you have one.
When you do play trump after a trump has already been played, you must overtrump (beat the highest trump in the trick) if you are able.
If your partner is currently winning the trick, you are not obliged to trump in; you may discard any card.

The highest trump wins the trick; if no trump is played, the highest card of the led suit wins. Won tricks go face down in front of the team, and their card points are tallied at the end of the hand.

Belote-Rebelote and the last trick

If you hold both the King and Queen of the trump suit, you earn a 20-point bonus. You claim it by announcing "belote" when you play the first of the two and "rebelote" when you play the second. This bonus is always scored, regardless of who wins the hand.

The team that wins the final trick scores an extra 10 points, called the "dix de der" (ten of the last). Together with the 152 card points, this brings each hand to 162 points.

Scoring the hand and going dedans

At the end of the hand, each team totals its card points plus the last-trick 10 and any belote-rebelote. The takers must score more than the opposing team to make their contract.

Contract made: each team keeps the points it actually scored.
Failed contract (dedans): if the takers score equal to or fewer points than the opponents, they have gone "dedans" (inside). They score nothing, and the defending team takes all 162 points, plus both teams' belote-rebelote bonuses are still credited to whoever earned them.
Capot: if one team wins every single trick, it scores a 250-point hand instead of 162, a clean sweep worth chasing.

The disciplined card-counting here will feel familiar if you play point-trick games like Seep or shedding games such as Tien Len.

Winning the game

Teams play hand after hand, keeping a running total. The first team to reach 501 points wins the game. (Some circles play to 1000 or 1500 for longer matches, but 501 is the classic target.) Because a single hand is worth 162 and a capot worth 250, scores climb quickly and a bold "take" can swing a match in one deal.

Quick strategy tips

Only take when you hold strength in trump, especially the Jack or Nine, plus side aces; remember you need to outscore the opponents, not just win tricks.
Count the trumps that have been played; once they are exhausted, your long side suit becomes unbeatable.
Lead high trumps early to draw out opponents' trumps and protect your aces and tens.
Communicate through legal play. Since partners cannot talk, your card choices signal where your strength lies.

Belote rewards repetition; the more hands you play, the better your sense of when to take, when to pass, and when to risk dedans. If you like the mental challenge between rounds, try a quiet solitaire like FreeCell or Spider, or the tile classic Mahjong.

Play now

Ready to deal? Play Belote free online at lovecardgames.com, in your browser with smart bots and live multiplayer, and no signup required.